Mail-bag collecting and delivering apparatus.



A. J. WALTER. MAIL BAG COLLECTING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE l I916.

' Patented Jan. 23, 191?.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY ANTON JACK WALTER, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MAIL-BAG COLLECTING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Application filed June 1, 1916. Serial No. 101,143.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANTON J. l VALTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Collecting and Delivering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for transferring mail to and from mail cars of fast moving trains, and has for its principal object to provide a simple apparatus for this purpose which will be automatic in operation, easy to care for and, consisting of few parts, strongly made and not liable to get out of order.

A further object of the invention is'to provide a mail collecting and delivering apparatus to be placed on each side of a car door that can be swung into the car to receive the mail for delivery at a station and to deliver mail collected at a station into the car, said moving parts having means for locking them against displacement when swung outwardly into operative position.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a mail car in side elevation on a track provided with the mail bag collecting and distributing arms in position to collect mail from poles erected on the side of the track; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the side of a mail-car with a collecting arm extended outwardly in operative position; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the collecting arm and its supporting bracket; and Fig. 4: is a sectional view of the mail bag receptacle.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 10 indicates a mail car having a door 11 on each side as usual. At that edge of the door frame in the direction in which the train is moving is arranged a swinging arm 12 for delivering mail at a station, while at the opposite edge of the door frame is a second swinging arm 13 for collecting mail from a station and delivering it into the car, these operations being performed while the train is moving at its usualspeed.

The collecting and delivering arms 12, 13 are alike and the following description of one will serve for both. Fastened in vertical position against opposite sides of the car at each edge of the doors 11 are brackets 14, each having sockets 15 and 16 at its upper and lower ends, respectively, and cars 17 projecting from said sockets through which fastening devices are passed for securing the bracket to the car. Supported by the bracket 14 is an arm having a vertical staff 18 swinging freely in the sockets 15 and 16, the upper end of which staff is provided with a horizontal extension 19 carrying a projecting horizontal finger 20 at a right angle to the extension 19. A notch 21 is made in the top surface of the upper socket 15 into Which a pin 22 projecting from the vertical staff 18 is adapted to enter when the extension 19 is swung outwardly from the car at a right angle thereto. This pin rides upon the top of the socket 15 at other times and in all of the positions of the staff 18, but when the latter is turned with its extension 19 pointing outwardly, the pin 22 drops into the notch and firmly holds the swinging rod with its finger 20 in position to collect-or deliver mail bags. A rope or other flexible connection 23 is fastened to the extension 19 and leads into the car where it is secured in convenient position for a mail clerk by pulling thereon to swing the arm from its extended operative position into the car so that mail bags can be hung thereon for delivery at a station or for removing collected bags Which have been picked up at a station.

A delivering arm 12 such as described with its finger 20 pointing rearwardly is secured to the forward side of the car door 11 and a similar arm 13 with a forwardly projecting finger 20 for collecting mail is placed at the rear side of the door, but somewhat higher so that both arms may be swung outwardly into operative position and at the same time to deliver and collect mail when passing a station at which the train does not stop.

At a suitable distance on each side of a station along the line of the railway track and on the right-hand side thereof are erect ed two poles 24 and 25, the former being at the near side or the side toward which the train is approaching and forms a support on which mail bags are hung for collection by the passing mail car. This pole 24 has an arm 26 extending horizontally therefrom in the direction of a moving train. The other pole 25 is similar in all respects to the pole 24 and has a horizontal arm 27 extending in the opposite direction or the direction from which the train is approaching. On the top of the arm 27 is a projection or lug 28 near the pole 25 which forms a stop for the mail bags when taken from the car and prevents them from striking forcibly against the pole 25 and injuring the bag and its contents.

To render the operation of collecting and delivering the mail bags safer and more reliable there is preferably used a holding receptacle for the bag such as shown in Fig. 4 which comprises an upper circular band 29 made of flat metal and a bottom band' 30 made of stout wire connected together by two or more upright rods 31 which rods are braced by a central wire ring 32 about midway between the upper and lower bands 29 and 30. Pivoted to the upper band 29 is a handle 33 comprising two uprights 34 connected at their upper ends by a cross bar and turned inwardly at their lower ends at 36 to pass freely through openings in the band 29 and be headed on the side of said band, thus serving as pivots whereby the handle 33 may swing from side to side. Below the cross bar 35 is a second parallel cross bar 37 by means of which the receptacles are supported upon either arms 26 and 27 of the delivering and collecting poles, the upper cross bar 35 serving to engage with the finger 20 of the delivering and collecting arms 12, and 13 mounted upon the mail car. Within the frame or cage 38 thus described, the ordinary mail bags are-placed and, fitting easily therein may be readily inserted and withdrawn.

In operation, when mail is to be both collected and delivered at any station which a mail train passes without stopping, the mail clerk at the station places the mail bags containing such mail as is to go out within one of the receptacles 38 and hangs the same on the arm 26 of the pole 24, placing the cross bar 37 of the handle 33 upon the arm 26 which latter is flattened on its upper side to insure a proper positioning of the receptacle. The cross bar 35 of the handle will thus be raised well above the arm 26. Mail clerks on the car before reaching the station will hang a similar receptacle 38 on the finger 20 of the swinging delivering arm 12 which has previously been drawn or swung so as to project into the mail car, the upper cross bar 35 of the handle 33 being placed on the finger 20. Both the delivering and collecting arms 12 and 13 will then be pushed outwardly until the pins 22 thereon engage the notches 21 of their respective supporting brackets in which position the finger 20 of the deliveryarm 12 will project horizontally in a rearward direction, while the similar.-

finger 20 on the collecting arm 13 will proj ect forwardly or in the direction in which the train is moving and at a higher elevation as shown in the drawing. In this position when the train reaches the station, the finger 20 of the collecting arm 13 will pass above the arm 26 and between the cross bars 35 and 37 of the receptacle 38 and draw the receptacle from the arm 26. The mail clerk then pulls on the cord 23 and swings the collecting arm 13 into the car. Mail is delivered at the station as the train passes the pole 25 by the arm 27' of said pole engaging below the cross bar 37 of the handle of the receptacle 38, the latter hanging by the cross bar 35 from the finger 20 of the delivery arm 12, and with drawing said receptacle from the finger, the cross bar 37 will strike the stop 28 on the arm 27 and prevent the receptacle encountering the pole with any appreciable force if it strikes it at all.

Claims:

1. In a mail bag collecting and delivering apparatus, an open topped mail bag container comprising a skeleton frame and a cover therefor, means on said container extending upwardly from the open end for supporting the container. in position for delivery, and other means for engaging the collecting apparatus.

2. In a mail bag collecting and delivering apparatus, an open topped mail bag container comprising a skeleton frame and a cover therefor, a swinging bail extending upwardly from the mouth of said container having an upper and a lower transverse bar for respectively sustaining said container for delivery and for engaging the collecting apparatus.

3. In a mail bag collecting and delivering apparatus, an open topped mail bag container comprising a skeleton metal frame'including a flat annular band at the top, and a cover of flexible material for said frame, and a bail pivoted to said band having two parallel horizontal bars forming a part thereof for engaging the collecting and delivering apparatus respectively.

In testimony whereof I aifiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANTON JACK WALTER.

Witnesses:

OTTO P. JAEGGE, Jr., CHAs. F. WERNER.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

